From Dust we came and to Dust we'll return
by Lightning Lockhart
Summary: Sometimes Blake can't fight her more cat like instincts.


**Okay, so here you have some angst for your aching hearts. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: RWBY's characters are not my property they belong to RoosterTeeth and I only use them to create a new story with no other end but entertainment.**

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Yang had read the words on her left arm more than a thousand times. Those were supposed to be the last words she would hear from her one true love and everyone had them on their arms. Every person was different and every person had a unique phrase. Even those who never loved at all, not romantically at least, they had those words that would come from a friend, a member of their family; it didn't matter because at the end of the day, it was love as well.

Yang Xiao Long wondered about the true meaning of such words. They were simple enough and a phrase that could be said any day. It wasn't a declaration of eternal love. It wasn't a cold sentence of hate. It wasn't something as cliché as three words told commonly nowadays. It was a curious phrase to be the last and Yang hasn't met her one true love yet. She'd imagine that person in her dreams in a blur of whispered words and shadows but nothing clear. Yang was too carefree to worry about love at only eighteen. She had a world to explore, adventures to live and places to go.

The blonde wanted to be a huntress but not because she went with the flow and sought the adrenaline. She wanted to be a huntress because she was tired of being afraid. She entered Signal Academy to be a huntress, to turn into a stronger woman, a brave warrior and in general, a better person. She was tired of being afraid of the world and afraid of herself. She promised herself that she wouldn't be a scared child anymore, contemplating red burning eyes frozen in the spot with no amount of energy to even shot out for help. Yang made herself a huntress to kill Grimm, to chase away the demons under her bed and make the ghosts of the past disappear. She was tired of the pain caused by memories and so she tried to forget and keep going. She was tired of being a victim and so she grew stronger. She was tired of being afraid so she went and slammed her fist into the face of her enemies. She was tired of being teary eyed so she started laughing and laughing until her lungs ached and the perfect mask fell in place to cover her insecurities.

Yang tried to prepare to face the worst situations and overcome the hardest obstacles and yet, it wasn't enough to avoid the grief, guilt, sorrow and the heart wrenching pain of living her worst nightmare all over again.

It must have been a normal mission; Grimm everywhere baring their teeth with the sound of snapping jaws and team RWBY fighting together to overcome the powers of darkness, the forces of Grimm to send them to the void. However, those creatures weren't the only threat on the battlefield or the most dangerous. Hidden in the shadows of the nearby forest, a larger menace stood with its weapon pointed to the back of the golden haired member of RWBY. A flash of red so small that was lost within the red of a hood. It was so tiny that its brightness was confused with the reflection of the broken moon in their shiny weapons clashing upon dark skin. It was small and flashing between the light of bullets but it was enough to capture the attention of amber eyes.

Blake Belladonna had quick reflexes and a focused mind but from time to time her most animalistic instincts messed with her rational side. That's the reason Blake forgot about their current enemy to follow the annoying red point. That's why she ran as fast as her feet would carry her to stand behind Yang and while trying to catch the red light she pushed her partner out of the way; a few steps to the front and perhaps a few inches to their right.

Everything was a fuss from there. Blake moved too fast leaving only her semblance to cope with monsters. The sound of a Beowulf screaming to the night before perishing at the sharp edge of a scythe filled the air. The piercing sound of death crossing the sky to turn black into red muffled the silent scream of shock and pain.

Surprise painted Blake's face while she held her chest and the white fabric upon it turned crimson. Slender fingers were wet with blood and warmth poured from the wound leaving Blake too cold. She gasped in an almost silent display of her sudden agony, the realization hitting her harder than the impact of the bullet going through her body. Her life is draining quite literally and all she can do is fall to her knees even when the world starts to disappear.

Then, there's chaos; the screeching of metal when Ruby put away Crescent Rose, the horrified voice of Weiss while she calls for help from her scroll. Finally, there's the desperate, agonic, cry of Yang when her hair burned with flames and her eyes turned red with anger. But then, her heat engulfs Blake like a warm blanket in a winter day. The Faunus sighed in contentment lying down in Yang's arms before nuzzling the taller girl softly because suddenly her energy was gone.

The world fades away for Blake. The moon was just a broken stone hanging on the sky. Ruby and Weiss were just memories of laughs and fights and missions to eradicate Grim. Memories of friends, partners, teammates and family. Memories of light, joy, happiness and a blur of white and red that made Blake smile and laugh. Because they were part of a team and it's just sad that they can't be with her when everything ends but it's for the best. Ruby, Weiss and Yang taught Blake how to forgive herself, how to forget her past, how to be free and how to finally start living.

" _From Dust we came and to Dust we'll return."_

Blake could have sworn that the constant flow of her own blood was like sand in an hourglass, going to the other side a grain by the time. The world was reduced to no other color but the monochrome spectrum. There were lights and shadows. Ruby and Weiss were silhouettes dancing in the night with muffled voices carried away by the wind. They were beautiful angels that brought peace and silence to Blake. She wasn't aware when both of them ran to her to touch her, to grip her clothes trying to make her stay, trying to hold into the life that was slowly slipping away from her.

Light was consumed bit by bit and darkness gave her coldness to a Faunus that fought for freedom her whole life.

"Don't go, kitten."

Those words broke free from Yang's constricted throat and color returned even if only for a second. Golden hair turned into the brighter light that Blake had ever seen. Red eyes let Blake know the real color of pain and despair because help was still too far away and Death was already upon them. Silver tears dampened Blake's cheeks and she didn't know if they're Yang's or her own. But it didn't really matter because both of them are aching and suffering. Blake hid her face on the brawler's neck while Yang left soft butterfly kisses on her hair and forehead.

"Don't leave me, Blake."

The Faunus tries to stay because she's not going anywhere without a good fight and yet she's shivering and her life is red and her body is empty and her heart is aching for all those moments she won't share with her team anymore. Her heart aches because she never thought life could be this beautiful. She laughed, she met incredible people and gave everything, yes, her life included, to make the world a better place. She made peace with her past and had the most wonderful adventures. She did good and found the version of Blake Belladonna that the White Fang never brought to the surface. She was more than a Faunus, more than a member of the White Fang, she was Blake, just Blake, and that meant it all.

"Please. Please. Stay with me." Yang begs in a voice that's almost not hers. "I love you."

Golden eyes widen in surprise and a small sob leaves Blake. It's half unbidden happiness, because in the last moments of her life she finally feels loved, and half grief, because there will be no time to share with Yang. There will be no time to cuddle in bed and share gentle kisses. There will be no time to run her fingers through golden tresses and contemplate the universe from behind a window. There's no way for them to reach the sky with arched backs and closed eyes. There will be no mornings that last for hours and no promises about a future that's no longer than a few more minutes. But Blake uses her last amount of energy, as small as it is, to bring Yang closer so she can see her reflection in red pupils that go slowly back to lilac.

Blake has read the words burned on her skin more than Yang. She used to read the words when she was desperate to find a better place, to find someone who truly cared for her, to change the world and live without hiding in the shadows. She read those words because they were hope that someday someone would see her for who she was and no what she was. She thought that perhaps, and only perhaps, Adam was the one that would say those words to her but time went by without a loving word. She waited after she cut the train but golden eyes were met with silence. She knew, from the beginning, that she never loved Adam like that.

"I knew it was you."

Blake felt it when she found Yang in the Emerald Forest. She knew when lilac and gold met for the first time above the edge of a book. Blake felt her heart beating madly like never before and she felt alive. It wasn't like a fight where you kill or die. It was a lullaby that made Blake breath for the first time and filled her lungs with excitement about tomorrow instead of fear. There were sparks in Blake's heart without shared words and she knew from that moment that she would fall in love with the flaming dragon. It was slow, difficult but all the way worthy. Blake opened her mind, her heart and soul to trust Yang in the way she never trusted Adam. She grew stronger because Yang pushed her to be better in the battlefield, in classes, as a person and as a woman. Blake Belladonna fell in love and Yang loved her back.

It's Yang the one that closes the final gap between them and kisses the Faunus with every ounce of love she has. She pours every emotion in a bittersweet kiss that tastes like a painful goodbye. One that is too sudden and cruel because Blake was just starting to enjoy life and Yang was starting to break her own made shell. Two souls starting to meld together are torn apart by cruelty and their last precious memory is that one true love's kiss. They try to say all those words they don't have time to actually say with their voices. They try to convey everything in a gesture trapped between a second and eternity, between a perfect dream and the worst nightmare.

With a last sigh Blake loses her life with Yang filling every empty spot of her existence. Her lungs are filled with Yang's spicy aroma, maybe cinnamon, even when there's no more air into them. Yang is the life on her eyes after they lose their usual brightness. Yang is still on Blake's mind like the last memory along with a final moment of pure joy. Yang is the warmth on Blake's cold body. Yang is her last smile, her last tear, her last sigh and breath even when Yang was also the first. She was the first ray of sunlight every morning and the first time Blake felt cared for.

In that moment the cruel ghosts of the past returns stronger than ever to hunt Yang. The brawler saw the face of Death when she was just a kid while she stared into burning red eyes. She felt the emptiness of it when Summer Rose never made her way back home. Yang holds the power of Death in her arms and fists with a deadly weapon but she never truly felt its weight in such a ruthless way, with its taste still lingering on her lips.

Five words that Yang used to read every day meant nothing when Blake was gone. They meant nothing when salty tears, that the blonde can't hold back, collide against pale skin. They meant nothing when Yang stared at a body without soul, without Aura, with no beating heart. They meant nothing when all Yang was able to see was pale skin glowing into the moonlight making Blake look ethereal, like a fallen angel resting peacefully.

Perhaps the impact of an Aura can transcend realms and maybe, just maybe, Blake went to a better place feeling warm instead of cold thanks to Yang. Perhaps the golden light of Yang's hair was enough to enlighten her path to another life. One thing is sure; she left after images on team RWBY's hearts. Things will never be the same again without Blake Belladonna and Yang feels like falling apart. Perhaps she could live with half her heart, she would give it to Blake if that were possible, but Blake; her _Blakey_ , her _kitten_ , took it all without noticing.

It hurts so much that Yang can't hold back the heartbreaking sobs shaking her whole body. It hurts so much that she barely notices the layer of ice that Weiss unleashes with fury and sour tears running down her pale cheeks. There's no Freezer Burn because Yang has no fire left in that moment when everything burns cold. It hurts so much that she doesn't hear the violent wind rush when Ruby cuts the nearest object in half due to frustration and sorrow. It hurts so much that Yang barely notices the crater she makes when her fist connects the ground trying to demand Heavens to bring Blake back. It hurts so much because they're supposed to be heroes, to be saviors and yet, they weren't able to stop Blake from dying in the middle of the night. It hurts so much because Blake died pushing Yang out of the way, saving Yang's life and still, the blonde feels emptier than ever, her life feels meaningless without the golden eyed Faunus.

Yang can't wrap her mind around the fact that Blake is not waking up no matter how many times she calls her name but that doesn't stop her from trying. Yang tries and tries screaming Blake's name at the top of her lungs until her throat is sore and tears won't stop coming. She holds onto Blake trying to feel the warmth that is already gone until soft but firm arms try to take her away. She resists and fights to stay with the part of her soul that was never truly hers.

"Miss Xiao Long." Whispers a voice that Yang should recognize but she doesn't.

Yang is hurting too much that she didn't notice the airship arriving with a blur of vibrant lights or the presence of Professor Ozpin trying to comfort Ruby and Weiss. She didn't recognize the arms or the voice of Glynda Goodwitch and she keeps fighting them because inch by inch they're moving her away from Blake's corpse.

"Yang." The professor tries again.

There's something in Glynda's soft tone that makes the brawler react and Yang lets herself being pulled away from her one true love. Yang looks up into green eyes and she understands how much Death the older huntress has seen in her life. Yang understands how the pain never really goes away and that no matter how hard she tries, she would be never ready for this. She's tired of losing people and she's not even in her twenties. She lost her mother twice, she lost the love of her life. She _can't_ lose Ruby as well. This is the life she once dreamed about when she was younger and afraid of Grimm but her nightmares were gone in the arms of Blake and now that she's gone all those dark dreams are back to make her miserable. It's been less than fifteen minutes since she saw light vanish from amber eyes and she's already blaming herself. She thinks about how she would gladly give her life for Blake's. The Faunus was just starting to enjoy her life. She was starting to discover the wonders of freedom and peace.

Glynda doesn't offer words of comfort because no language can suffocate such pain and no voice can tame that amount of grief and sorrow. It's enough to contemplate Ruby sitting on the ground rocking herself and covering her face muttering something like a mantra under her breath. It's enough to watch Weiss Schnee speechless and crying silently trying to breath normally even when oxygen can't reach her lungs properly. And professor Ozpin looks away from Yang because suddenly all that he has seen, and forgotten thanks to a strong will, is replaying into violet eyes.

"I love her." Yang mutters still on Glynda's arms. "I love her." Yang cries out in a painful sob that breaks everyone a little more. "I love her…and now she's gone."

It's a lot more painful to see Yang when the tears are finally gone because it means she's so empty without Blake to keep crying. They spent everyday together, as friends, as partners that truly met in the middle of the forest, they became one as a full by sharing their minds bit by bit and now Yang's only a shell of her own person. She feels empty. _She feels alone._

"I know." Glynda says softly.

Yang stops fighting those arms circling her midriff and from there she can see the surprisingly bare arms of her professor and the words printed on her left one. " _I'll find you again."_ And Yang knows that the usually stoic teacher was on her place some time ago. She sees in green eyes that the pain will always be there. There'll be days filled with remorse and others filled with hope. Some nights will be graced with beautiful dreams and others hunted with horrid nightmares and it both cases, waking up will be the hardest part of the day.

"How?" Yang asks and her voice breaks in the same way her soul did mere minutes ago.

She wants to know how is it possible to keep going with so much pain that it physically hurts her. She needs to know how to survive the dark void that's suddenly in front of her and she needs to understand why the Grimm doesn't matter anymore. She wants to know if it is possible to smile again at some point and if there's another life after the one she's currently living because she wants to find Blake again and have the life they were denied this time.

"Some people never leave us, Miss Xiao Long. They're never gone completely even if we can not see them. Their essence is still with us, their Aura accompanies our paths, and we can hear their voices, we can see their smiles, feel their gazes, feel _them_. She won't leave you because now she's eternal and Blake will find you again."

Blake is Yang's life even when her heart has stopped. She will be Yang's light in the darkest night and her hope in the brightest day. She will be the brightest star on the darkest sky even when all that's left is a memory of black hair and bright eyes. Blake will be Yang's flame and in time, she will burn again from shadows.

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 **This story follows two prompts: one is Blake following a laser and the other goes like this: "Imagine if you have the last words said by your true love tattooed in your arm."**


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